News from Council Meeting - 26 October 2020

Published on 26 October 2020

A mountain bike network plan featuring 37kms of new, specially designed tracks in the foothills of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, has been endorsed by the Council.

The plan proposes 20 tracks, 17 of which are suited to beginner to intermediate riders.

The final plan incorporates feedback from 1900 people who contributed to the extensive consultation process. It also takes into account environmental sensitivities and the need to safely cater to all track users.

In the year to June 2019, $67 million was spent in Tasmania by more than 25,000 visitors who engaged in mountain biking.

The plan will be implemented in stages, with the City to seek external grant funding opportunities to fund construction.

The City of Hobart has reiterated its commitment to local spending by adopting a Local Preference Procurement Policy.

The policy formalises The City’s existing position to actively seek to use locally based suppliers, services and contractors wherever possible. Currently about 98 per cent of large contracts are held by local businesses.

Under the policy, quotes for goods, services and works worth less than $100,000 will be sought from local businesses. For contract values in excess of $100,000, a minimum weighting of 10 per cent will be applied to local businesses during the evaluation process.

The policy follows a Notice of Motion put by Ald Marti Zucco in August.

The City will investigate whether its asset holdings should be reviewed, with a view to using them to strengthen the city’s financial position. 

A motion put by Ald Damon Thomas was supported as a means to deal with the economic impacts of COVID-19, which includes an estimated $12 million loss this financial year.

“It is important that as part of the ongoing strategies to recover from the pandemic that all realistic options are considered by the Council,” Ald Thomas said. “As an alternative to the disposal of assets, there may be options around restructuring the ownership model or using the assets portfolio to provide a better return for ratepayers.”

The Council has endorsed a plan to better connect Hobart city centre with the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens (RTBG).

The City to Gardens Way Connectivity and Wayfinding Plan proposes to establish a safe, efficient and functional route for cyclists and pedestrians from the Bridge of Remembrance to the RTBG. The City will seek external funding to implement the plan.

The City will explore opportunities to provide additional public showers across Hobart.

The provision of more showers helps to encourage active travel around the city and supports people sleeping rough with access to basic amenities.

The City currently provides public showers at the Argyle Street carpark, Franklin Square and Long Beach Reserve – the latter two of which are available 24 hours a day.

The City of Hobart will provide in-kind support to a project that aims to reduce the environmental damage caused by roaming cats.

The project, led by not-for-profit company Thylation R&D, proposes to develop and trial new technology to assist in protecting sensitive ecosystems and vulnerable animal species.

During the month of September, 69 building permits were issued with a combined value of nearly $19 million – a significant increase on the same period last year. This included 22 new dwellings and two major CBD projects.

In the 12 months ending 30 September 2020, a total of 628 building permits, worth a combined $224 million, were issued.

The number and value of planning permits for September was also up on the same period last year.

The schedule of Council and Committee meetings for December has been amended to allow for two Council meetings to be held during the month.

Council meetings will be held on Monday 7 and Thursday 17 December. The City Planning Committee Meeting previously scheduled for 7 December will instead be held on Monday 14 December.